COMPLETED! SasuSaku. Sasuke has finally returned, but Sakura has changed, and through a twist of unpleasant and unexpected events, a believed to be dead foe once again rises against Team 7. And while Team 7 may think they're invincible--they are wrong. RX

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Sasuke, or Sakura or anything else. Though if I did, Sasuke would be in love with me, and the series wouldn't be that great, so thankfully, in a way, I don't own it. ALL HAIL MASASHI KISHIMOTO FOR CREATING SASUKE!

A/N: Heh, as you may have noticed from the Disclaimer, I'm a Sasuke fangirl, yeah….O.o Anywho, this is a first for Naruto, and now I'm going for a One-shot Naruto fic. Please review, I would appreciate it very much, I'm able to figure out if I have any chance at writing more fanfics for this anime by how many reviews I get, so review a lot, because Mimi-chan (me) has lots of ideas. K? Okay. On with it then... Warnings: This fanfic contains attempted suicide and a little OOCness on most of the characters (but I did my best to try and keep them somewhat the same), if you have a problem with it, don't read it and don't take the time to flame me. "Talking"

'Thoughts'

Text

Reflections of a Broken Kunoichi

By: Mitsurufangirl009

Sakura walked along the streets of Konoha coming back from her latest mission as a jonin. She was to meet Godaime-sama in her office once she'd returned something urgent she assumed. Sakura had changed over the years, her pink hair was still cut short, and she wore her basic attire still, but her attitude about life in general was very much different than that of her twelve year old self. She hated life, hated it with the fire of a thousand suns. She didn't understand why she was still being put through hell. She'd been a nice person in life, but it seemed that fate was not without a sense of irony. The bright blossom that had loved life and lived it to the fullest, had faded, withered, and hated life with a passion that made her thoughts linger on death.

Her friends had tried to everything to get her to smile since the fateful night of the Uchiha's departure, but they soon realized that it was a lost cause, and gave up on her. The only friends she had now were Naruto and Kakashi, she couldn't have gotten rid of Naruto even if she'd wanted to, he was like a mother hen, always worrying about and doing everything in his power to make her life happy. Kakashi was there as motivation to get stronger, to move forward. He was a symbol of everything she needed to do, but still she hung around in the past. Sasuke was a symbol of what pushed her forward, her motivation, once she got him back in Konoha…she supposed she could die happily.

Her normal attire was the same, she added only a bandages around her legs and her wrists. She still wore her sleeveless red shirt with the beige skirt and black shorts underneath. Her physical appearance had gone from being a girl's body to a woman's, she was slightly taller, but Naruto was still a head taller than her, and she'd grown curves in all the right places.

She continued walking through town, hearing the comments of others along the road. Whispers of how she once was, reasons of why they thought she'd changed. They were all wrong, though, no one really knew why, except maybe Naruto, they knew only a small portion of the story. Through the years her strength had increased, and she was now considered the best medic-nin in Konoha, as well as the Hokage's, Tsunade's, apprentice. The glares, stares, and gawks of others, bore holes into her, but she'd managed, over the years, to become indifferent to what others thought of her. She disregarded it, their opinions, their advice, their whispers and comments, their thoughts, her own thoughts even, she was indifferent to it all. Very few things could phase her. The only ones that could ever even get her to try and smile were Naruto and Kakashi, her only family. Her blood family had died, but she had concluded that maybe Team 7 was her real family after all, from the very beginning.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" a blonde haired boy yelled enthusiastically. Naruto ran to greet his friend, smiling big enough for the both of them.

"Sakura-chan, you're back! You're not hurt are you?"

"No, Naruto, I'm fine. I was just on my way to see Tsunade-sama." She said, her once bright emerald green eyes had dulled over the time of five years. She looked at him distantly; she always did, it happened every time she spoke to Naruto. Her mind's eye would always picture Sasuke walking casually from behind Naruto with his stoic expressions as always.

"Sakura-chan?" that snapped her back to reality, and her wrists began to throb from her thoughts of Sasuke, for Sasuke was the reason she'd done this to herself in the first place…or at least one of the main reasons. She absent-mindedly started to rub one of her wrists, a pained expression barely visible on her pale face. Naruto noticed the gesture immediately, snapping his happy emotion.

"Sakura," His voice taking on a warning tone, "you did it again, didn't you?" He asked worry woven through his voice.

"Don't ask questions you already know the answers too, Naruto. They won't go away over night, and I suggest you get use to it. I don't plan on stopping any time soon."

"Don't ever mention him around me! Do you understand, Naruto?" she growled out. Naruto nodded in submission, wishing silently for the old Sakura back.

Sakura finally reached Tsunade's office with the accompaniment of Naruto.

"Tsunade-baa-chan, are you there?" Naruto called, walking through the door, Sakura in tow. A loud groan was heard behind a large pile of papers as empty sake bottles scattered the floor.

"Sakura-chan? You're late…" Tsunade whined drunkenly.

"What is it that you called me for?"

"Ah, why do ya got to be so mean? I'm just joking, relax a bit, will ya?"

"Get to the point, please? I really don't have all day." Sakura snapped back, her anger rising.

"Uchiha Sasuke."

"Yeah, what about him?" she growled out.

"Uchiha Sasuke-he's back." She said lazily, like it happened every day.

"Pardon me, but I think I misheard you." She said warningly, hitting her fist against the desk making papers fly.

"You heard me correctly, Sakura. The Uchiha is back." Sakura's fist went through the desk.

"Crap, now papers are all messed up, stupid papers-stupid trees," the Hokage mumbled to herself, "He was found this morning. He'll be leaving the hospital later this afternoon. He's been given his punishment and has accepted it. He's back for good."

"Sasuke-teme's back, eh? That's good, right Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked timidly, fearing Sakura's wrath. Her head snapped back to look at him eyes wary.

"Go see for yourself, Sakura-chan, he's probably awake by now if he ever went to sleep at all."

"I will, and it'll be my imagination, just like all the times before." She growled out and walked back outside, slamming the door behind, leaving a stunned Tsunade and Naruto. Naruto ran out to her, catching up but as he soon as he'd reached her. The calm pace of her walking became running, as she ran down the streets once more that day. She reached the double doors of the hospital finally with Naruto in tow.

"Tell me where he is." She growled through gritted teeth.

"I don't know who you mean, ma'am," said a startled nurse.

"Uchiha." She spat. She was given directions and walked off, knowing where to go sense she came here almost every day of her life to work. She walked slowly, calmly even, while Naruto watcher her curiously. He knew she hated Sasuke for leaving her, and her parents' deaths hadn't helped her either. It was because of Sasuke that Sakura had changed for the worst. And now Naruto feared that all hell would break loose once Sakura found Sasuke. But his suspicions were proven curiously wrong as Sakura opened the door and onyx eyes stared piercingly back at her.

"He really is here," she whispered, shock flowing through her in waves.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, pushing her a little into the room. Sakura gazed at Sasuke, eyes wide and unblinking, she slowly turned to Naruto, trembling.

"She wasn't lying, Naruto, she wasn't lying." She whispered, hysteria finding its way through her voice.

"Sakura, calm down, she never has lied to you. You've imagined it, she's never told you anything that hasn't been true." He explained quietly, he had that feeling once again that this wasn't going to end well at all. Sasuke's stare was now glued to the window, refusing to acknowledge them any longer.

Sakura ran from the room. She heard Naruto call her name once, but it didn't matter. "He's back…! Sasuke-kun is back, this time for real. It's not in my head like before…why has he come back, though? Did they drag him here? What if he leaves again?!" she cried in her head. Reaching her apartment, she slid in the key to unlock the door, but felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Wha-!" she spun around only to find the one and only Kakashi.\

"Where are you oft to so quickly? I've been calling your name for awhile now and had to run to catch up to you."

"I need to…I wanted to go home, and get here as quickly as possible. I just wanted to go home…that's all.

"You're running away again, aren't you, Sakura-cha?" He told her his eye seemingly to see into her soul, seeing through her lame excuse for a lie.

"I'm not running…I'm not that weak, Kaka-sensei. I just... he's back… she cried, tear streaming from her eyes for the first time in five years since the departure of the Uchiha.

"He's back. That's all that matters, you have to believe that he'll stay this time, or else he'll disappear again, is that what you want Sakura?"

"No! I want him to stay, but I want him, I want the old Sasuke-kun! SO YES! That's what I want, to never see that damn bastard's face again! He broke my heart a thousand times, Kakashi-sensei. The minute he left my parents were found dead near Sound, and that's when I needed him the most. And where was he? Heading towards the very village that slaughtered my parents! I can't feel the same way I did before. I can't, I won't, and I don't. Besides, when we were still genin and he would be a jerk, I might be depressed or sad for the rest of the day at the most, but the next day I would always feel happy and lighthearted again. He left. I was ad and depressed then. I've been sad and depressed for five years, and it hasn't changed; not for one second since that night. Do you really- no, can you really believe that I still love him after all he's done!" she snapped. Kakashi merely nodded.

"You care more about him than you might think. The real reason I came here to talk to you, wasn't about that. I've found out a little secret of yours. And so here goes my advice and orders as your former teacher: stop hurting yourself over him Sakura. If you don't I will see to it personally that all things that could possibly be considered dangerous to yourself are removed from your possession, and I will talk with the Hokage if I have to do such and have you removed from any missions."

"No, not rat. If anything you should be singing his praises or I would've have found out on my own, and you know how I find things out. Which one would you rather have gone through? It doesn't really matter though, not anymore. He told because he was simply worried about a girl that's precious to him, and decided to let me in on a little secret. How long have you been doing this?"

"Since Sasuke left." She said feeling a little guilty under his piercing stare.

"How many times?"

"I've lost count, but I don't see how that's any of your business."

"As your former teacher and as a friend, it is my business."

"Whatever, you might as well add some five to it." She smarted off, her anger once again beginning to rise.

"I wouldn't advise it."

"Kakashi-sensei, I wouldn't advise getting involved, as I've said to Naruto and now you. My mind is set, besides someone has to punish me and sense no one else will, I'll do it."

"And what sins are so bad that you have to harm yourself to feel clean again?"

"I'll never feel clean again, the sins that I've done. Actually thinking that I could be with him forever. Thinking only of myself whenever he's around, when Naruto's killing himself on the inside. Staying in the past instead of moving forward like I should do."

"Why don't you?"

"Because if I do, my happy memories will go away, the ones with and without Sasuke. My heart is rotting away as it is, I can honestly say that I would like to keep some part or portion of my sanity."

"Sakura-"

"It's late, I'm tired, and I don't want to listen to you say how I could deal with my problems in a much better and healthier way. I'm going to bed. Good night, Kakashi-sensei." She said forcefully.

She opened the door and walked inside before turning around to see if Kakashi was still there only to see that he'd vanished, leaving a puff of smoke in his wake. She shut the door, not surprised that Kakashi had found out, anyone with eyes that cared to look at her could see her wrists were slit. She walked to her bathroom removing a kunai from her pouch, she unwrapped her arms, staring blankly at her masterpieces of art. 'SASUKE' was carved into her arms multiple time as well as just simple cuts. She ran water over her arms in an attempt to cool her coursing blood and relieve herself from the sweat and grime that had gathered under the bandages during the day. She sighed as she relished the cold spreading through her arms. She took the kunai in her right hand, steadying it before digging it into her left wrist. Blood flowed down her arm dripping into the sink. She raised the gleaming bloody weapon in the air once more. She felt the cool metal etch across her arm, a flaming sensation seemed to thrive as she once more sliced into her arm. She looked at the blood greedily, it was like a drug, the more blood she lost a little happier she'd get, but it was a sick happiness- sadistic and murderous, or suicidal. She sighed contently feeling the pain rip through her arm as she moved it from over the sink. This was her escape, this was how she had lived every day for five years…

Naruto looked at Sasuke, who only stared at the window since Sakura's departure.

"You know, Sakura, she's changed. You probably heard, but she's refusing to believe you're here. She's delusional and keeps telling everyone that your back every once in awhile only to find out that it was her imagination. She's not the same Sakura that you knew before, she's become colder than even you, Sasuke-teme. You should see her wrists, but don't ever say that I told you, she's already gonna kill me for telling Kakashi-sensei." Said Naruto, breaking the crushing silence.

"Why did she run away? You'd think she'd be jumping all over me like she normally does. Is she still as weak as she was when I left as to solve her problems by self-mutilation?" he growled the sentence out. It wasn't like he cared about what she did, she was just an ex-teamate and now an ex-fangirl. One less to deal with he supposed.

"Did," Naruto corrected his second sentence. "She hates you, she hates you for leaving her, she wants her heart back. But she gave it to you, and God knows how you've treated it. Her parents were found dead at Sound a day after you departure, both were mutilated piles of flesh and blood. She could've moved on had you been here, at least she'd be better than she is now. One thing though, and I'm warning ahead of time. Make Sakura mad or make her cry or upset once, and you'll regret it. If not by Sakura-chan, than by me!" his voice chillingly threatening, but really would the great Uchiha prodigy show any sign of fear at the dobe's words? No. Sasuke simply sneered, it wasn't like he actually tried to hurt her, it just sort of happened.

"What about my last question, dobe? Is she still so weak still to have to solve her problem by self-mutilation?"

"She isn't weak. I don't like what she'd doing, in no way. But it takes a lot of guts to be her. To do that, after what's happened to her. To even live another day as her, I would die, I couldn't do it." Naruto explained head down.

"She's even weaker than before, running away from her problems."

"She says it's to punish herself…something about no one punishing her for her sins."

"What did she do that deserves a kunai to the wrist?"

"She say that she's been sinning by ever believing she could be with you forever, for ever believing that you'd come back, but you have so…- and one she stays by, for refusing to move forward." Naruto got up to walk out, Sasuke followed, as he was released awhile ago, but stayed in hoped of maybe seeing Sakura for more than three seconds.

"Oh yea…don't be expecting Ino to do anything to help you with problems including Sakura. Ino wants nothing to do with Sakura-chan. Besides Shikamaru doesn't like people, especially people of the male persuasion, hanging around her. He's never liked you from the start I suggest you stay away from them."

"I hadn't even thought of her, she's an idiot anyways."

"Whatever, I'm going home, later."

"Hey dobe, I'm going to Sakura's house, to see for myself if what you say is true."

"Just remember what I said before hurt her once and you die! Another thing, knock on her door, let her come to you. You won't like what you find if you go the normal way; through the window."

"Hn." Sasuke replied, trudging off walking towards Sakura's house. The only reason he came back to Konoha was for her. Itachi was dead, he, more or less, killed him. Itachi had been injured when he found him; half-dead even. He'd killed Kabuto and Orochimaru as well. He'd gone unconscious after he killed his brother, when he woke up he was in sound. He kill his sensei and the medic for moving him before he could see his brother's dead face. Now, he had the task of restoring his clan. And that in itself was easily accomplished with his fangirls flocking to his every whim. But in a way it was easier said than done because of his pickiness. He didn't want some slut birthing his children, he wanted someone that he liked, he liked, the one, the only…

"Sakura?" Sasuke called through the door. No answer, Naruto had said not to go the easy route, but since when did the Uchiha genius ever listen to that dobe. So he climbed the tree near her window and stepped lightly on the balcony. His eyes widened slightly at the sight that stood before him.

Sakura stood up from her place on the floor, before she wrapped her wrist up once more, she raised it to the wall, beginning one again on her master piece, simply letting the blood that flowed from her wrist smear across her wall in a giant stripe of crimson. Her walls were coated in her blood, she wrapped her wrist back up, beginning to feel the after affects of her addiction. She closed her eyes, but felt something staring at her, slowly she reopened her eyes and allowed dimmed emerald orbs to wander around the room, they stopped at the opening to the balcony.

"U-Uchiha?" she whispered not believing that he was standing at her balcony, staring at her with wide eyes, shock and fear drained out of her in an instant as anger took its place.

"WHAT'RE YOU DOING IN HERE!" Sakura yelled, plastering a permanent emotionless expression on her face.

"I came to see what the hell is wrong with you." Sasuke answered back his voice chillingly calm.

"Nothing's wrong with me, but something's wrong with you! DON'T YOU KNOW HOW TO KNOCK!"

"I did, no one answered, the dobe told me that if I came up the easy way that I'd find something I wouldn't like and- I got curious. Besides- this is how I always get to your room."

"My room is off limits now to everyone but Naruto, who's already seen it."

"I noticed." He walked in slowly, though he could see the murderous gleam in Sakura's emerald orbs. Blood caked the walls in painful stripes, but thankfully Sakura was still human and had sprayed perfume to downplay the smell of blood. He touched one of the walls for a split second before recoiling in disgust though his expression showed nothing; fresh blood was one thing, but dried caked on blood was an entirely different story.

"What have you done?" he asked, a hint irritation in his cold voice. Sakura played with bandages on her wrist, she hoped he hadn't seen her make the latest stripe on her wall, who know, if she was lucky he might think it was the blood of her enemies. That hope was quickly crushed when Sasuke grabbed her wrist making her yelp in pain. The blood acted like glue, it happened every time. She'd wrap her wrist with the bandage the blood still flowing and it would take an army to unwrap it. That's the reason Sakura fought so hard against Sasuke to get away from him before he could completely unwrap it. Besides, she didn't want him seeing his name carved into her arm.

"Sakura, you either unwrap it or I will, I'm going to see it either way. You're not going to hide it from me" Sasuke said, but in his head he added , 'and show it to that dobe.' A hint of jealousy was evident in his voice, but Sakura didn't seem to notice at all, and if she did, she made no comment on it. Sakura bit her lip, tears slowly brimming in her eyes. She grabbed the end of the bandage, not having enough confidence to stand up to her love again. Slowly, she unwrapped it.

"It's not like it matters to you. You don't care about anything."

"For once Sakura, will you listen to me-"

"I always listen to you Sasuke-kun," her mental walls of resolve shattering," always, but could you once listen to me! Hear me out for once in your life instead of knocking me out and leaving me, all the while my words, words from my heart, are going in one ear and out the other!"

"Sakura-"

"NO! Just stop it!"

"Sakura, how could you do this to yourself?" Sasuke exclaimed, as Sakura showed him her arms, he kept quiet about the many scars that resembled his name. She looked at her bare feet like they were the most interesting things in the world.

"Sasuke-kun, I laid my heart at your feet, you trampled on it as you walked out of Konoha's gates…I'm Tsunade's apprentice now, also the best medic-nin in all of Konoha. I'm not the same weak little girl that you left on that bench. Naruto is even trying to get me to join as an ANBU. Heh. I think I'll stick to jonin. I've missed you though, you're the only I'll admit it too…Kakashi-sensei knows about this little habit of mine, but only Naruto's ever actually seen what I've come too, that is until you showed up. He's seen the scars and the blood, he tries to discourage me, but nothing can change my mind about what I'm doing… But you, I know you. You couldn't care less. Ino-pig and Shikamaru, Naruto and Hinata, Neji and Tenten, everyone- all our friends began to pair off, and I was in here, sitting on my bed seeing how much blood I could paint on the walls before I passed out. I lost one pint and had to be taken to the hospital, but I didn't have scars then. That was my first and very pathetic attempt at suicide that was three weeks after you left. My second attempt was last year, Naruto found me, with his nose I couldn't hide anything from him. But they say that third time's a charm right?" she said smiling sadly, "I sound pathetic, rambling to someone who could care less about what I do as long as I don't get in your way, right Uchiha?" Sakura asked straightening up from her slowly shrinking form.

Sasuke looked at Sakura, a somewhat angry glint in his eye, "Your right Sakura, you aren't the same weak little girl that I left that night, you're even weaker." He said to her coldly, she looked down, twiddling her finger and biting her lip, she nodded in somewhat agreement. Sasuke sighed and turned around the stench of blood was getting to him. He took one last look at the broken kunoichi of his childhood and jumped off the balcony and began his walk to his house.

Sakura closed the curtain to her balcony. There was no such thing as happiness, everyone had found it but the one who needed it the most could never quite reach it. She'd tried everything to take her mind off the growing pain her heart. She couldn't. She trained to the point of exhaustion when Kakashi would have to order Naruto to take her home, she mutilated her arms, she painted her walls with her blood, she did her best to accept every life threatening mission possible. But the missions were something she did for herself, she knew she would never be able to let herself die on a mission. It was pointless to even think about it as she knew that if she died, the mission would fail, and she could never allow a mission to fail under her command. She looked sadly at the last remaining picture of Team 7 that she hadn't burned. She gazed at the raven-haired thirteen-year-old boy, Sasuke, that she'd used to love, but now--

"I can't love you, not after what you did to me! I WON'T DAMMIT I REFUSE TO LOVE YOU ANYMORE!" she screamed hitting the picture with her fist, the glass shattering and scraping her knuckles. She heard suddenly, soft footsteps coming closer, a human presence behind her. She spun around furious only to see Naruto.

"Sakura - you - I…you can't tell me that you don't still love Sasuke-teme, he was the only reason you did this, right? Well, now he's back, and the reason he's back is to accomplish his second goal: restore his clan. Who do you think he came back for? Ino? Shikamaru might have something to say about that. Hinata? He touches her and I'll rip his balls off. Tenten? Neji might not appreciate that much. See? He came back for you, you were the only girl that was truly close to him. Forgive and forget, Sakura- forgive and forget."

"I can't Naruto, and just because I'm the only girl his age, that he's known, that's single doesn't mean that there aren't other girls…stronger girls. Girls willing to fight instead of hide in their room painting with blood!" She cried, dropping to the floor, her head in her hands, which were trembling, violently, and her tears coursing down her pale face. Naruto came to her, putting a comforting hand on her back and giving her a shoulder to cry on.

"Did Sasuke-teme call you weak?" a gentle nod was his answer, "Sakura, you aren't weak. You're stronger than most, not even Sasuke could live like you do."

"He wouldn't be doing what I do either, he's strong! I'm not, I'm weaker than I was before, Sasuke-kun knows, he just pointed it out." Sakura cried, sobs racking through her body, "I only wanted to be stronger to show him, impress him, for him to believe and know that I wasn't any ordinary kunoichi, but no, it's now come to trying to prove to myself that I'm worth something. Sasuke didn't think I was worth anything, none of the guys think I'm worth anything, and I don't want to be alone forever, Naruto!" Naruto let her cry on him, they sat on the floor often together. Him with his arms wrapped around her as she sobbed in to his chest.

Sakura was now starting to quiet down, she slowly fell into one of the first fitful sleeps she'd had that month. Naruto laid her down on her bed and he did what he always did when Sakura was asleep and he was with her: help her.

He knew the blood on the walls caused her to vomit periodically, and so he slowly scrubbed the walls, and eventually, after three hours of cleaning, had her room free of blood. Next, was the hardest part: cleaning her arms. He unwrapped her arms, knowing she was a light sleeper and if he was caught in the act she'd kill him. She never made a comment to him about it when he wasn't caught, though she knew it was him. She would simply try and give him a genuine smile. It was nice to see her try to smile, and with enough trying, maybe someday soon she'd be able to actually smile without having to try. 'Poor Sakura..,' Naruto thought as he put ointment on her arms after disinfecting them. 'I told Sasuke-teme to not make her cry. She hasn't cried since he left because she hasn't had any fresh heartbreak to deal with since then. Damn him! I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind, and if he doesn't watch his mouth he's gonna lose more than just his pride.' Naruto told himself. He re-bandaged her arms and left out the balcony, proud of his work and loyalty to his heartbroken friend, he didn't go around making best friends cry unlike some people he knew. 'Sasuke…'

Sasuke stepped in front of the gate and say down on the bench. It was 'the' bench, the same one he'd put Sakura on as he left. He sighed, putting his head in his hands. The little kunoichi he'd come back for was gone and from Sakura's ramblings, she was the only girl in his supposed circle of friends that was left. She'd resorted to self-mutilation, not even he had gone that far. He'd never seen so much blood in one place before – scratch that, maybe he had, but not around Sakura.

'She used to be so sweet, like the cherry blossoms she's named after. Her scent has gone from the scent of sakura flowers and roses to blood and decay. From pink to black, from being a happy, beautiful, and youthful girl, to an orphaned, depressed, and psychotic masochist. This all happened because 'I' left her. Yes, it's tried that I heard her proclaim her love to me several times, too many to count even. But we were only kids, how could I have known that she was serious, that she was truly that devoted to me?' his thoughts were interrupted when he noticed a rock being aimed at his head, he caught it. Its thrower was none other than…

"Dobe, what are you doing here at this time of night?"

"Repaying you for breaking Sakura-chan again!" he emphasized the word 'again' rather harshly.

"I didn't do anything." Sasuke spat, his mind reeling.

"Really? You called her weak, you just crushed her with those words of yours!"

"I only said the truth, dobe."

"That isn't the truth, bastard! The truth is that her heart broke because of you. The truth is that if you want the old Sakura back, you'd better have a really good plan. The truth is that if you care about her at all, if you want her to love you again, than you'll refrain from calling her weak. She's not weak, it takes some guts to be her. Could you look at the person you love walking away from you everyday, lose your parents, and have your friends give up on you? I never knew my parents, and I know that your parents were killed too, but me and you have a stronger will – it comes with being male I guess – and she doesn't. Every time something in her life takes a drastic detour her grip on the rope of life slackens a bit, and if she's pushed to far, eventually she'll run out of rope to be pushed down on. Before that happens, though, knowing the Sakura now, her nonexistent will to live and see tomorrow might allow her to eventually let go completely, give up hope, give up on you, give up on life." Sasuke looked at Naruto, a scowl settling on his face. Naruto just glared back, ready to fight if it came to that.

A/N: Please review, I'd appreciate it, also any constructive criticism you have please tell me, I want to make my fanfics as good as I can make them! Okay, well bye, the next chapter should be up rather quickly.

The author would like to thank you for your continued support. Your review has been posted.